The Ultimate Hope

I enjoy watching movies.  After a long day at work and school, I love sitting back and getting lost in a story.  I appreciate how films can point me to themes found in God’s story of redemption – themes like forgiveness, faithfulness, justice, and love.  Yet all those themes pale in comparison to God’s use of them in His story.

Despite my love for the cinema I find that almost always a movie leaves me feeling the same way: depressed.  “Depressed” is a big word, so I better nuance my use by saying that it leaves me feeling empty, sorrowful, or hopeless.

For us Christians we have ultimate hope.  Everything we do in life is done in the shadow of the reality of Christ and our promised future.  Everything we do points to a higher purpose.  Thus, even if we are facing persecution or imminent death, we have ultimate hope.  As much as I find the bestseller unhelpful, the Christian does indeed have “A Purpose Driven Life”.  The Christian is called to fix their eyes on Christ and to run the proverbial race of life with Him as the goal or purpose of it all.

Those movies leave me feeling hopeless precisely because they lack that higher purpose.  Even when the protagonist accomplishes their goal – even if that goal is saving the world from impending danger or finally getting their dream job – that goal is empty to me, and I think it is precisely because I experience the ultimate hope. 

What is even more interesting is the fact that I think those who do not have the ultimate hope don’t even miss it!  Nowhere in Scripture are people presented as having a “God-shaped hole” in their hearts or having an insatiable appetite that can only be met by God.  Rather, people are depicted as enemies of God instead of seeking after God.  They are busy chasing after what their heart truly desires, and that is certainly not God.  Let me remind you that we as Christians would be the same but for God’s grace.  In fact, we still struggle with those sinful desires every day.  Moreover, those without the ultimate hope by God’s grace can change.

Instead of seeking after the ultimate hope, people are lost in their sin.  They are blinded to the ultimate reality of Christ.  Their hearts are hardened toward God.  Thus, when they point to hope they are always pointing to a much lesser hope than the Christian’s hope.  Those movies are forced to point to hopes like defeating the enemy, winning the championship, or kissing the dream girl – not the ultimate hope of eternal life with God.

Just as once you try Godiva chocolate, Hershey’s bars never taste as good, those of us who have tasted the Lord and seen that He is good have our expectations raised as to what hope is.  It is our duty to spread the Good News of hope to those who will hear it.  It should be so obvious to others around us that it exists that they ask about it.  We have the hope of eternal life.  We have the hope of perfect communion with Christ.  We have the ultimate hope.

bry